Offensive performance during Israeli basketball semifinals

During State Cup semifinals, immodestly-clad women wearing tzitzit appear on court. Culture Minister works to prevent similar occurrences.

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Ido Ben Porat, 13/02/18 12:09

Miri Regev

Hillel Meir/TPS

During the basketball game last night between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Ashdod within the framework of the semifinals of the Israeli State Cup, women in immodest and minimal clothing appeared on the court. Each of the women was wrapped in tzitzit, the ritual fringes mandated by the Torah which observant Jewish males apply to four-cornered garments.

Part of the crowd watching the game was stunned by the incident and gave Arutz Sheva documentation of the offensive performance.

Minister of Culture and Sport Miri Regev (Likud) instructed the director of her ministry to discuss the issue and to examine how the basketball association is acting on its own and choosing not to take into account the feelings of some of the public interested in watching the games. The recommendations of the director will be submitted for review by Minister Regev.

The Ministry of Culture and Sport said that it intends to work with the Israel Basketball Association in order to prevent such incidents from recurring.

"Our values ​​and our respect for our foundational symbols do not stop on the sports field. We are talking about the events of the State Cup, essentially state events and as such, care must be taken that the content appearing in them, alongside the national anthem and the flag, takes into account the feelings of the entire public," Regev told Arutz Sheva.

"I instructed the director of my office to work with the association so that offensive performances for one public or another will not appear on the courts," she added.